The problem of the three men named Samuel Ayer

Question

Wow, what a can of worms I opened when I started investigating a purported cousin link between my family and the family of President Bill Clinton (aka Blythe).  It appears that there are three men, all of the same generation, born within 50 miles of each other (two in the same town) - all with the name Samuel Ayer.  All three are grandsons of John Ayer-35.  One was born in 1654 (Ayer-287), one in 1667 (no profile here yet) and the third in 1669 (Ayer-776). 

This book does a pretty good job of listing out the families:  http://books.google.com/books?id=D1BmAAAAMAAJ&pg=PA1184#v=onepage&q&f=false; The History of the Treman, Tremaine, Truman Family in America: With the Related Families of Mack, Dey, Board and Ayers; Ebenezer Mack Treman

But even this book makes a mistake and lists the wife of Ayer-287 as Elizabeth Tuttle (page 1181), when she was actually the wife of Ayer-776 (Ayer-287 married Mary Johnson, which the book states correctly on page 1171).

One of these three Samuels is the ancestor of President Clinton.  I believe that to be the Samuel born in 1667, son of Obadiah Ayer, who settled in Woodbridge, New Jersey.  However, online trees have had a heck of a time with these three men, compicated by the fact that the two Samuels closest together in age both married women named Elizabeth.  I've found trees on both Ancestry and Geni.com that indicate Ayer-776 as the ancestor of President Clinton and I'm pretty certain now that that's not the case. 

I'm still working through all this, but I'm going to place a cautionary note on all the profiles in question linking back to this discussion.  Whew!

Comments

I haven't seen any primary source for that assertion. Perley (Essex Antiquarian, IV:148-9) states "Captain Samuel Ayer, born in Haverhill Sept. 28, 1669... married Elizabeth Tuttle of Ipswich Nov. 21, 1693...." Whitmore (in Hoyt, Old Families...) says Samuel (1669) "probably" m. Elizabeth Tuttle, dau of Simon. Neither cites a source. It remains unprovable until  documentation is found. 

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I went back and reviewed the Haverhill Records transcripts and that must be where I got my information from back in 2014.  So yes, your summary is correct, Elizabeth, and as of now, the three profiles at WikiTree also have it correct.  I updated all three profiles with links to the Haverhill transcripts so that it's clearer where I got my information from.  The third Samuel has the last name "Ayers" on his profile, he's Ayers-127.  And oh BTW, if you look at the records, there's actually a fourth Samuel who was born in 1671, but he died in 1672.

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Kyle, thanks for checking this.  Unfortunately, Elizabeth Tuttle is still married to two different Samuel Ayers:

https://www.wikitree.com/wiki/Tuttle-237

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Hm, I see that now.  OK, more digging needed.

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I do hate to leave it like that

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I just went about a complete review, sourcing and removing faulty connections process for Elizabeth Tuttle Ayer, so she's looking great.  Unfortunately, a whole family of Ayers in Woodbridge, New Jersey lost their mother.  I mean, it wasn't really their mother, but someone thought she was.

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Thanks for giving me a giggle about that family who lost their mother!

Oh, and thanks also for the progress report.

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Seems like this whole set of Samuel Ayers, as well as Elizabeth Tuttle should be watched by the Massachusetts project (they're post-PGM). Ellen is that something you can take care of?

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Thanks for the clean up, Kyle!

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John Ayer-35 had at least one more grandson named Samuel, although this one died at just a year old, so he's not likely to be confused as an ancestor of anyone. 

This infant Samuel has no profile here yet, but was a son of Thomas Ayer-42. According to the records he was b. 11 Jul 1671 and d. 15 Jul 1672, both in Haverhill. See: 

Vital Records of Haverhill Massachusetts to the End of the Year 1849, Topsfield, MA: Topsfield Historical Society, 1911. Birth: Vol. 1, p. 21 and Death: Vol. II, p. 351. [available online at archive.org]

Answer 1

Huh, and I suspect that when I did this work five years ago, I hadn't yet gained the facility with the town records that I have now.  I will take another look when I get a chance to see if I can help unmuddy these waters.

Comments

Is that you, Kyle? ;-)

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that would be great Kyle. I'm the manager of Ayer-776